[IC] Swords Beneath the Starlight

And so your journeys begin, as you follow the mysterious Lien and her band of comrades further into the haze of war...

Renault is a newborn kingdom, its meteoric rise led by the brave and prodigious King Leor the Lionheart, then only age 16. Leor's father, a mere baron, built a duchy out of a single city. His untimely death at the hands of assassins sent by his rival, the Duke of Cheswick, left the kingdom in Leor's hands. Inheriting an army of knights and a heart of fire from his father, Leor led a campaign - half diplomatic, half military - to conquer the rest of the feuding lords of the region and establish the Kingdom of Renault.

That was thirty years ago. Peace has prospered in the newborn kingdom as its king fought against the privilege of the nobility and exalted the rights of the common peasant. Renault's military might is unquestionably supreme among the lords of Ilya. Its knights are known for chivalry, fearlessness, and a certain doctrine of individual heroism which encourages personal skill and independent thinking over rigid tactical obedience.

All that is gone now, though. Renault has been laid low. As you all pass through, you find more and more scenes like the one you saw at the Captain's village mere days ago, and with each passing day the situation seems more and more hopeless. Luckily for Renault, a new sun rises just beyond the horizon...

--

You have nestled yourself between a few hills to camp for the day. Dermid says it's safer to travel by night so long as Revotrian patrols are active. As you all sit down to eat, Lien seems exhausted.

"Goddess above, the extent of the Revotrian advance is greater than anything I could have expected. What infernal power fuels their unholy war machine...?"